Shan Jeniah’s Lovely Chaos | Prime Directives Amid Lovely Chaos

I will write the stories in my head, and those that I dream, letting them flow from me without forcing or contriving.

I will write, as much a possible, from a place of kindness, and, failing that, a place of compassion.

I will claim the stories of my lives, even when those stories are not pretty.

When the stories are ugly, and others have a place in that ugliness, I will present the story with perspective and without blame – because, when people do ugly things, I believe we do them out of wounded places within us.

I will revel in my writing.

Writing will be my avocation – not a chore or a duty, but a joy and bliss…

I will learn myself, and the inner reality of my soul.

I will learn others, and the outer world.

I will deepen and broaden in the process.

When I can, I will present a guidepost along the way, to point others toward a direction they may have been seeking.

When I can, I will offer a way to awaken, to see more deeply and clearly.

I will question assumptions, including my own, especially those that seem so often to go thoroughly unexamined.

I will free my creativity to play in whatever areas most delight it.

I will share the magic I find in the everyday, and offer it freely to anyone who wishes to partake of it.

I will support others who are seeking or moving in tune to their own deepest purpose.

I will focus on the positives – laughter, joy, healing, peace, wonder….and because this is a world of opposites and degrees and infinite shadings, when I must reveal the darker side of things, I will always seek, even there, the hint of light and love and the possibility of better moments ahead.

I will be generous with my words and my thoughts, giving much away without asking anything in return, except perhaps to know when my words have touched someone…

In my life, I will move toward joy and sweetness and peace, and I will joyfully share the journey.

I will stretch and reach and strive, and grow…and that will mean offering my words in more places, and interacting more fully…

Thank you. It’s my hope that posting them publicly will remind me what my ideals are – and, if anyone who’s read them finds me not living up to them, I hope they’ll remind me, and help me to be a better me.

I don’t always live up to them, but I do try. As for goals, I’m happy to be making forward progress and learning along the way. Somehow, that leads me to attaining more than I set aside. Works for me. =)

The thing is, I’m also doing April CampNaNo and StoryADay May, and I’ve gotten a little mired in the details, so that that “little detail” of updating my sidebar stayed right there on my April goals list, utterly untouched…

So happy you nudged me to get on that. Now I have shiny new badges! =D

I don’t always follow them as perfectly as I’d like to…but I’ve found that I do so a lot more often, knowing that they’re posted right there on my blog, where anyone could hold me accountable to them.

I think I might need to add a couple about responding in a more timely manner to those who take the time to comment – I can get wrapped up in life and my projects, and lose track of things. Sorry that happened to you and your lovely comment!

I changed from a family climate of negativity to a more positive (and still evolving) attitude one little change at a time. When I could think to do it, I questioned my negative thoughts, and substituted more positive ones.

Journal writing seems a perfect place for this! Sometimes, I look back at things I wrote a few years back, and the difference is astonishing.

Stopping by on the 12th day of the #atozchallenge. Having a good time today blog hopping, saying hi and moving on. If you have time or interest, I am writing about gardening and related topics this month. Come and visit.

I love your prime directives, every one of them. I tried to single one or two out as special, but couldn’t do it, because they all turned out to be important. Thank you for sharing these. Well may they guide you. I am particularly thinking about how not everything that comes from a place of truth is going to be sweetness and light, but it can still be told with compassion and without blame. Thank you!

Thank you! I gave a lot of thought to these. Especially coming from a place of truth; I was an abused child, and I understand that my my parents were also abused, and damaged. Yet, at the same time, I believe that the cycle of abuse and violence can only be stopped by breaking the code of silence that surrounds it. It’s a balance to speak openly about these things, without condemning anyone, but I feel deeply that this is the only way to approach it.